april 21.2000 *
i he band Rebecca Riots is so grass-roots,
Says Prichett: “We’re not going to get
you’d think it was planted on earth by
famous. If it’s possible for the music to feed us
some hippie gardener on a political mis
and pay the rent, that’s all we can ask for.”
sion— and now its influence is growing
Despite their grass-roots principles, that all-
<e a rampant lawn.
too-elusive rent check and hearty dinner might
This folksy Berkeley, Calif., three-piece—
he a little more attainable now that the Riots
lomprising Eve Decker, A ndrea Prichett and
girls have been recruited to put out their new
,isa Zeiler— is raring to begin a 15-day tour of
album, Gardener, on a small label called Apple-
Jhe Northwest to promote a new record, Gar-
seed. T he label seems to move at the hand’s
T he first stop IS
speed; it’s a political out
v.pril 21 at St. Johns
fit that releases
3ub in Portland.
albums by socially
Rebecca Riots cer
conscious artists, such
tainly marches to the
as Pete Seeger.
Jrum A ni D iFranco
“They don’t seem
egan beating in the
all about business,”
11990s; the group is
Prichett says.
lactivist-based, queer
The Rebecca
intensive and self-run.
Riots songwriting
Despite its deceiving
dynamic is interest-
by K aty D avidson
2000
bating
Quiet Not
The folksy Berkeley-based
group Rebecca Riots
eases into Oregon
to promote a new record
° “ *41
PRIDE WEEKEND
JU N E 1 7 & 18,2000
FESTIVAL SATURDAY AND SUNDAY
AT W ATERFRONT PARK
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ASSEMBLY BEGINS AT 10 A.M. IN THE NORTH PARK BLOCKS, STEP
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From left: Eve D ecker, Lisa Zeiler and A ndrea Prichett are the women behind Rebecca Riots
name, however, Rebecca Riots sounds a little
less angsty and a little more lovely than good
oF DiFranco. T h e group tucks its im portant
messages into elegant layers of harm ony and
pretty guitar work.
O ne of the most heartening aspects of
Rebecca Riots is the obvious friendship that
exists among the women. A fter a recent prac
tice to prepare for their approaching tour, I was
able to speak with the hand members, one by
one, via patchy cellular phone connections—
and the background chatter and laughter was
incessant. T h e sense of camaraderie was
refreshing, to say the least.
Prichett says she m et Decker eight years ago
while working as a summer cam p counselor.
The two sang together there, then began to
meet and write songs back hom e in Berkeley.
At the time, Prichett was taking guitar lessons
from Zeiler, so she invited her to join the duo.
Soon after, Rebecca Riots performed its first
show in the comfort of Zeiler’s living room.
“It wasn’t our intention to be a band,”
Prichett says.
Four albums and several tours later, Rebecca
Riots is anything hut a living-room novelty act.
Admirably, the group has achieved its success
without the help— or m anipulation— of a
mainstream record label.
"We’re very wary of labels; we’ve done
everything from scratch,” Prichett says. "Major
labels pretty much run everything. T h a t’s how
people get exploited, w hen they d o n ’t know
what’s going on.”
The women released the first three Rebecca
Riots records themselves. T hey’ve distributed
some through wom en’s bookstores but have
achieved the most success with post-show sales
from the edges of various concert stages.
ing. Decker tends to write music and lyrics at
the same time, then bring her songs to the oth
ers to arrange. Zeiler, who considers herself
more musical than lyrical, likes to collaborate
with Prichett, who is the most unreserved
activist of the group. (The latter two are also
the lesbians of the group— “Out, out, out,”
they reiterate.)
“O nly earth-shattering events get me to
write lyrics,” Zeiler says.
O ne of those aforementioned events was
coming out when she was 14 years old. Many
years later, Zeiler wrote a song called “How I
Feel,” detailing the experience. Decker says
people weep when the band plays it live.
Zeiler says she began playing guitar when
she was a child, growing up in a suburb of
Chicago.
“My dad pulled a guitar out of our neigh
bor’s dumpster and said I should learn how to
play,” Zeiler recalls. “I hated it at first.”
All the women in Rebecca Riots are profes
sional teachers. Decker teaches music to grade
schoolers, Prichett is a high school physical
education instructor, and Zeiler gives guitar
lessons. How, I ask them, are they able to tour
so extensively?
“This coming tour is during spring break,”
Decker says. “But we had to quit our jobs last
year to go on a longer tour.”
W hen they returned from that one, they
were all rehired.
“It’s a gypsy living," Decker says.
■ R ebecca R iots plays at 8 p.m . April 21 at St.
Johns Pub, 8203 N. Ivanhoe St. m Portland.
Tickets cost $10 and m ay be purchased from the
pub or from Fasdxx. For more information, call
(5 0 3 ) 283-8520.
* VOLUNTEER AND SECURITY POSITIONS
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(ENTRIES RECEIVED AFTER MAY 31 WILL RESULT IN THOSE CONTINGENTS
BEING PLACED AT THE END OF THE LINE-UP.)
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REGISTRATION AFTER JUNE 5.
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BY DRAWING TO CARRY THE LEAD BANNER: DEADLINE MAY 20
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